


A Distant Reflection of Flames

by Iggyness



Category: Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer Vermintide
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Angst, Animal Transformation, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Curses, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Sort Of, Suicide Attempt, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iggyness/pseuds/Iggyness
Summary: After accepting a mission from a mysterious client, Sienna Fuegonasus gets stuck in the wilderness with an afflicted Victor Saltzpyre and her own conflicting feelings about him.
Relationships: Sienna Fuegonasus/Victor Saltzpyre
Comments: 27
Kudos: 36





	1. A Manse and A Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ubersreik Five are summoned by a wealthy client.

Sienna Fuegonasus was tired. Tired from having to wake up early, being crammed into a coach with four other people who were equally tired, and not knowing why. Perhaps crammed was misleading, the vehicle was much finer and cushier than anything Sienna and her comrades had ever been carried around in. Still, the question of why tossed about in her brain. She peeked an eye open to check on everyone else.

On the far end of her seat leaning against the wall was Markus Kruber, dozing off. A sturdy muscular man dressed as a mish mashed mercenary, his plumed hat almost pushed off his head from his nap. The way it stayed on was impressive, like it was as loyal as its owner. Watching it inch sideways and back with his breaths was almost entertaining enough, but Sienna moved on from that distraction.

Leaning against Markus was Bardin Goreksson, also dozing off. A dwarf ranger, garbed in green. He looked cute with his knit hat pulled down over his eyes. Still, Sienna couldn't fully rest because of his loud snoring and her close proximity to it. Thankfully he had his yearly bath the night before just for this occasion.

On the other seat facing her directly was Kerillian. A wood elf with silver hair and deep black eyes. Sienna could feel her stare back at her. Damn good senses, not a person to be crossed with, especially when cooped up with everyone else. Sienna gave her a nod of acknowledgement and looked away towards the final member of the group.

Victor Saltzpyre the one-eyed witch hunter, sitting upright and alert, watching the scenery pass by through the coach’s window. Dressed formally in a long coat and tall hat, plastered with the signifiers of the god he served. He was being uncharacteristically silent, and had been for the past few days. Sienna stared at him for a while, pondering at the whys of his recent mood. He seemed to ignore her at first, but after a moment he glanced at her and then away again. How odd, she would have to bother him about that later.

Sienna closed her eyes again, and pondered on herself. A wizard of the Bright Order, just a gal who wanted to channel the flame to her whim and incinerate everything that opposed her. With any luck, she’d get to do just that. She yawned and carded her gloved hands through her short hair. A hard bump in the road interrupted her thoughts, jolting her awake. Bardin and Markus yelped out of their own naps as well. Kerillian growled in frustration. Saltzpyre simply rolled his eyes and went back to staring outside.

Less than an hour later, the coach began to slow, and its passengers stirred from their ambient states sensing the chance in pace. Sienna looked through the window beside her, seeing a fanciful stonework and metal gate pass by, the trees of the mountain parting in places to reveal a view of a small village nestled in the valley. The carriage turned, and the destination was revealed.

A fine manor, both Imperial and Bretonnian in architecture. Its marble walls and windows glistened even in the overcast light. The ride came to a smooth stop. The driver, a short person unidentifiable due to their dark red robe and long draping hood, hopped down from their seat and opened the door.

Kerillian was the first out, Sienna being on the same side followed soon after. The boys exited next. Each of the five took a position in a line. The driver hopped back into their seat on the coach, and brandished a bell, ringing it thrice. Promptly, a pair of attendants in matching clothes and masks appeared. The only difference was the colors, one was red, the other was blue. They bowed in synchronous reverence.

“Greetings, honored guests.”, the red servant spoke.

“Our lady is waiting inside to meet you.”, the blue servant finished the thought, “Please, follow us.” The red servant turned and walked away towards the entrance to open it, and the blue servant remained to wait for their charges to move along.

“I require the best behavior from you all while in the lady’s presence, or else.”, Saltzpyre broke the worn out silence. He adjusted himself and stepped forward to follow the red servant.

The other four exchanged quick looks of confusion.

“So you know about what’s going on here, why we’ve been summoned and such?”, Sienna asked Saltzpyre.

“It is of no importance, Fuegonasus.”, he replied sternly.

“Typical One-Eye.”, Kerillian grunted. She was next to follow, muttering under her breath about ‘Getting This Over With’.

“It can’t be that unimportant if this lady requires all five of us to be here. Otherwise I’d tell you not to fret too much, Zharrin!”, Bardin chuckled.

“I’m not worried!”, Sienna said.

“Me neither,” Markus mused, “On the bright side, the reward for this job oughta buy us at least a month’s worth of Bugman’s!”

“Now that’s the spirit, Azumgi!”, Bardin cheered as he hopped forward to enter the mansion.

Sienna sighed and followed them. A stiff drink wouldn't do much to assuage her assumptions. Saltzpyre seemed off. This mission was obviously important to him, but not in his usual dogmatic ways. The curiosity was irritating! She walked through the entrance to join the others, the blue servant on her heels. They closed the door behind her.

The interior was lavish and beautiful. Numerous fineries were on display on the walls of the manor’s hallways. From expected paintings and candleholders to unusual golden crests. Sienna felt an uncanny twinge as she examined everything she passed by. This ‘Lady’ was definitely rich, it made her a bit uncomfortable. Was it just her that lived here?

The red servant stopped to open a door for the group once in a while. Three doors later led them to a grand room, full of unusual objects on exhibit. The twinge turned full bore as Sienna sensed magic in many of the objects. Sealed away, weak magic, but magic nonetheless. However, the most dreadful detail about the room was the hole in the thick wall, at least a meter in diameter, rimmed by splintered wood and shattered stone. Broken glass and debris littered the floor, and many of the displays near the hole were obviously looted. The last detail of the scene made Sienna’s stomach drop. Off near the intact wall were lumps laying on the floor, she immediately recognized the thin fur and pink-skinned tails. Organized in a line, their hides punctured in multiple spots. Skaven bodies.

“Apologies for the mess, friends.”, a new voice sounded out, its owner entered the room.

She was a young-looking woman, dressed in a simple yet elegant violet gown. Her cherry red hair was twisted into a long thick braid that swung gracefully with her stride. She exuded high class and confidence with her softly smug expression, punctuated with the gaze of sapphire blue eyes. Certainly a unique specimen even amongst nobles.

Sienna hated it. She already distrusted the strange situation, distrusted the gentry, but this woman’s extravagance was the third strike.

The woman approached the group, eyeing each and every one of them as if searching for flaws. When her eyes met Sienna's, she smiled approvingly. Sienna did not return the gesture. The woman simply smiled on as she turned her attention to all five.

"Greetings~", the woman's voice was deliberate yet delicate as she spread out her arms in welcome, "I am Aurelia Rossewell, and this is my manor. Though you might have guessed that already.", she trailed into a brief laugh. She signaled the servants, and the pair instantly came to her side in reverence.

Saltzpyre with his classic signature decorum, was the first to return the greeting.

"Thank you, Baroness...", he nodded in respect, giving Kruber and Sienna slight jabs with his elbow to follow his lead. Markus took the hint immediately and tipped his plumed hat, but Sienna was reluctant, very much resisting the urge to jab Victor in kind. Bardin, not to be outdone, stepped forward into a charming bow, and even Kerillian gave their host a nod of acknowledgement before Sienna did.

Rossewell must have been expecting the mixed bag of a response or enjoyed reveling in any and all attention she received, as she was beaming now. She laughed again, deep and hearty, yet ladylike in delivery, an echo masked by a gloved hand raised to her mouth.

"My my, what a fascinating band of fellows you are.", she mused out loud, "'Tis a bit nippy outside don't you think?" Her braid swung behind her playfully. “Allow me to explain. I am an adventurer. I’ve amassed a healthy collection of objects for study and exchange. Most are simply old relics from far away lands. Others, like the ones in this room, have magic imbued in them. Mostly safe, mind you, but in the wrong hands they can cause undesirable damage to society at large, and possible become corrupted by wicked forces.”

The five had a moment of bewildered silence, taken aback by this eccentric noblewoman. Though, perhaps eccentric was an understatement.

“Wicked forces like the Skaven, of course?”, Markus spoke up, having noticed the corpses himself.

“Good eye. I like that.”, Rossewell nodded in approval. She turned and stepped towards the hole in the wall. “Oh what a dreadful lot they are. You lovelies know very well how eager they are for any addition to their power, and the lengths of their cunning. Ah, I am lucky I was away from home during their intrusion last night.”, She lifted a hand to her head, “I could have been an addition to that pile of bodies. Dreadful!”

“My associate Franz Lohner tells me that you specifically requested us, I suppose this is why.”, Saltzpyre said.

“Oh yes, that man is a treasure, and I am ever so grateful that I could have the aid of such heroes! Mmmm, and of course I will pay handsomely for the safe return of my property. Not just in gold, but I’ll also offer you a complimentary stay in my lovely home. Complete with a feast.”

“Oooh! A feast worthy of a dawi I hope!”, Bardin broke away from the group’s line and started to search the room for clues.

"I never settle for the subpar.”

Sienna frowned in concern, and the lady instantly took notice.

“Oh, Bright Wizard. Have you a question?”

“How much was stolen?”, Sienna asked.

Rossewell made a gesture of thought before answering, “Between ten to twenty items.”

“And they are safe for any of us to handle?”

"Well, this collection is 100% safe. I don't need any horrible corruption sullying my home. I work too hard to maintain such luxury.", Rossewell said, deflecting Sienna’s questions.

“Good to know. I’ll not be touching anything.”, Kerillian interjected before breaking the line to join Bardin in searching for clues.

Saltzpyre cleared his throat, “I trust you know the consequences if you are deceiving us?”

Rossewell smiled, “I promise, witch hunter. Not like you have much of a choice according to that old hoot Lohner.”

A harsh silence fell on the group, everyone wanted to shift eyes to the leader, and he knew it.

"It's alright to admit that the powers that be can be stingy, or shortsighted even. The fact of the matter is that I require your services, and you my wealth."

Saltzpyre’s eye twitched in confirming chagrin.

Sienna felt even more uneasy now. Did the Church of Sigmar reduce his salary? But why? After everything he and everyone have done for them?

“Any leads on where the surviving ratmen might have retreated to?”, Markus interrupted much to the thanks of his allies.

“Possibly towards the deeper mountains. They can’t have gone far, the weather is poor and makes these hills difficult to travel.” Rossewell twirled around and trotted off towards the door she entered through, servants right behind her. “I’ll leave you to it then!”, She gave the group a long look before the door closed, “Good luck.”

Rossewell’s exit left a silence as cold as the intruding winter, but it was short.

"She’s awfully chipper for having just been robbed, eh?”, Markus broke the silence.

"I don't like her, and I don't like this place," , Kerillian grumbled.

“She rubs me the wrong way, darlings.”, Sienna added.

Saltzpyre coughed to interrupt, sternly speaking as quiet as he could, "I can't say I disagree with all of your sentiments...", his tone turned harsh, "But hold your tongues, all of you!"

Sienna glared at Saltzpyre. Oh, she was going to do more than bother him now. “Have your fellows finally decided that you’ve gone mad? Tired of you gallivanting about with us? Are the results not up to their impossible standards?”

He turned to her, his face scowling, “I told you before-”

“That it wasn’t important? I’m pretty sure you getting cut off from the Church is very important! It’s just most of what keeps us afloat, and me away from an execution!”

“I am not being kicked out of the church! I am simply under an evaluation! You know nothing about how things work with us, witch!”

Sienna flinched at the word, it had been a while since he’d last called her that. She clenched her fists indignantly. 

"I think we get the picture, Grimgi.", Bardin said, attempting to placate the grim discomfort everyone felt. Nothing like being reminded of one of the grimmer origins of the Ubersreik Five.

Kerillian stood up from her investigation, turning her gaze through the hole in the wall. “Mayflies, we have a trail to follow. Quit your yammering.”, she leapt out through the hole, not content to wait around.

“We can sort out the misunderstanding later, drengbarazi.”, Bardin nodded, “Let’s bag us some treasure thieves!”

Saltzpyre turned and left without a word, his sour mood palpable.

“I just don’t understand him.” Sienna sighed.

“I don’t think any of us do.”, Markus said, “Come on now, let’s go.” He hopped out of the hole and trailed behind the others, looking back to make sure Sienna was following. She sighed again and exited herself.

As the group gained distance on each other and reached the border of the chateau’s grounds to the forested mountains beyond, Sienna gave a final look back. She knew something was strange about this mission, but she’d have to get to the bottom of this later. In any case, there were definitely things to burn in her future.


	2. Forth And Back On The Mountain Track

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sienna and Saltzpyre have a complicated relationship, but not even a mysterious stranger and a flock of beastmen can get in between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might be the end times but I'll probably end up having to add canon-divergence to the tags lol.
> 
> Outcast Engineer Bardin was just released today and they rearranged the keep ;skdfj;akdfjs;asdjasd there goes a good bit of my careful planning for future chapters lmfao

At least an hour had passed since the Ubersreik Five had departed Lady Rossewell’s chateau. They had been traveling through the slowly thickening trees and boulders following the trail Kerillian had found. The hike had mostly been quiet, save for Bardin and Kerillian bickering about the direction the trail went, among other things.

“Darlings, have we found anything beyond ratty footprints yet?”, Sienna panted out, as if the strange and early morning travel hadn’t been enough, this trek through the wilderness was certainly going to tip her mood over the edge. If the elf and dwarf rivalry had gotten them all lost in the woods then she would have to take out her frustrations on them. She imagined those two squealing for mercy as they fled fireballs intended to miss by mere inches. Of course, she’d never do such a thing, but the thought of it was a mild relief from her growing crankiness.

“Maybe our navigators will find something to agree on for once.”, Saltzpyre said, the disdain evident in his voice.

“I think we’ll find a fountain of youth before that happens today.”, Markus jested, a bit more chipper than his fellow humans. He was much more used to marching and traveling on foot than them.

“Fascinating.”, Saltzpyre turned his eye to Markus, “A fountain of youth, Kruber?”

“Not meant to be taken seriously, Sir. Though, I might be a little thirsty.”

“Such a thing wouldn’t be trustworthy. It could be a vector for nefarious forces.”

“Or contagious diseases.”, Sienna added. “Or it’ll just give you the runs.”

“I know what water’s good or bad to drink! You know there are lots of fresh springs in these mountains. Completely normal, uncursed, unenchanted ones.”, Markus protested with a sigh.

“You know, I could go for a dip in a theoretical fountain of youth myself. Sounds quite refreshing, darlings!”

“The pursuit of immortality is the pursuit of corruption, Fuegonasus.”, Saltzpyre scoffed.

Sienna shook her head, “Immortality? No, Saltzpyre, I’d just love to feel young again is all. As much as I do enjoy some of the perks of my age, it’d be nice to feel flexible. You should know what I’m talking about, right? Besides, immortality sounds boring. Boring and lonely.”

Saltzpyre frowned in a way Sienna couldn’t read properly. It made her want to push his buttons.

“Actually, I think you should partake before me, Victor! Maybe it would loosen you up!”, She grinned mischievously, “Go the extra mile and dive in wearing only your knickers!”

Saltzpyre’s frown turned regretful for a moment, but only a moment, soon replaced by a strong scowl. “I would not be caught dead indulging in such… despicable display!”

“Oh you’d have fun with it, you repressed twig. Or at least, I would have fun with it, I’d pay a penny for that show!”

Saltzpyre’s pale complexion turned bright red as he growled at her. The scene had attracted the attention of Kerillian and Bardin, who were now watching Sienna’s teasing. Markus looked like he was trying not to laugh, as that would really get his boss going. 

Sienna kept pushing her luck, “Maybe your missing eye will grow back! Or you’ll get a huge-”

“Silence, you!”, Saltzpyre yelled at her, he’d turned to face her now, and was pointing a finger at her, “I’ve had enough of your disgusting attempts at roasting me for today, you-you insignificant hag! With how things are going maybe being granted an eternal lonely life is what you deserve!”

Sienna fell silent instantly, but after a moment the words he said registered in her brain, sparking a twisting gnarled feeling in her chest. “Surely I don’t deserve that for just teasing you, Saltzpyre.”

His eye twitched as it stared into hers. No answer.

Sienna felt the rage manifest as her hair erupted into flames. A rage she couldn’t do anything about.

“Oy, oy, you two stop it now!”, Markus wedged himself between them, “Can we focus on the bloody mission instead?”

“Just as well, mayflies aren’t made to live forever anyway.”, Kerillian laughed, “It’d turn whatever’s left of your minds to scrambled mush. Gods only know it hasn’t happened already!”

“Aye on that, wutelgi.”, Bardin nodded, “Though I’ll have you know my brain is quite firm and supple!” Bardin’s comical boast did little to improve the mood.

“Anyway, the trail’s stopped. There’s evidence of a fight here.” Kerillian bent over examining the earth, brushing aside blood-stained detritus until a shiny gold object was revealed. She picked it up. “Look here, mayflies. Maybe our skaven looters were caught by something.”, It was small and circular, resembling a piece of gold trimming broken off of one of the displays at the manor.

Saltzpyre tore his gaze away from Sienna and turned away, taking Kerillian’s side and swiping the piece of metal away from her to examine it for himself. 

_Coward._ Sienna clenched her fists as she watched him go.

“This is simply gold, but you may be correct, elf.”, Saltzpyre sniffed as he pocketed the piece. “I suggest we spread out and search for more evidence. And if you see an artefact. I suggest you leave it be until we can figure out what to do with it.” With that, he stepped away. Kerillian took the hint easily and strode off in the opposite direction, leaving Bardin, Markus, and Sienna alone.

“I think he just wants an excuse to get away from me now.”, Sienna growled under her breath.

“Are you going to be okay, Zharrin?, Bardin looked up at her with concern.

“I think I need an excuse to get away from him too.”, she sighed and crossed her arms. ‘I’m going on my own, I’ll probably find something quickly enough.”

“Well we’ll be here if you need us, Sienna.”, Markus gave her a smile.

"Thank you. You’re good friends.”, Sienna nodded at them before turning and walking off. Turning a corner around a crag of rocks, wanting to be out of sight as soon as possible. She hiked downhill a bit, for how long she didn’t know, as her immediate thoughts were focused on Saltzpyre. On how his words stung especially much this time.

It wasn’t the first time the two had fought. Their spats had been quite bitter before in fact, but as their time together had grown longer, so had their relationship grown closer. Their philosophical debates gained an edge of familiarity. Despite all his initial debasement of her, he never seemed to give up on her. Recently he was throwing suggestions at her for the occasion she was released from his custody, rather than tried and executed. He had even called her by her first name, something he had never done for anyone else in their group. Every sign pointing to him as a friend felt like a spike in her gut. Only for him to snap back into calling her cruel names? How dare she let her guard down around him? 

She growled and continued scouring the mud and leaves for any sign of one of the missing artefacts. She looked up and around for bearings on how far she could have strayed from the group. Just trees. It was afternoon now. How long and how far had she gone from everyone else? It couldn’t have been that far.

“Maybe I’m the one who needs a magic leash.” She mumbled to herself aloud. She took a deep breath of the cool mountain air and went back to searching the ground. 

Only minutes later, she felt a hum. Her mage sight was picking up a sign. She followed it, carefully scaling down the hillside into a clearer part of the forest. The trace of magic felt like the soft purr of a cat, rumbling ever louder as she approached it. It lulled her into a more relaxed state. However, the scene she found in the small valley was anything but relaxing.

Near a lone tree there laid a Skaven sack rat. Dead, impaled by crude spears multiple times and so violently that its entrails had spilled out of its sides like a bloody deathbed. Its sack was flat and empty near its side, and a hole in the cloth revealed a glint.

Disregarding Saltzpyre’s command from earlier, Sienna bent over and picked up the object, the source of the magic in the area. She pulled it close to inspect it.

It was an amulet, made of bronze, attached to a leather cord. The frontside had a peculiar picture carved into it. A woman with ears even larger and animalistic than an elf’s and a nine long appendages extended behind her like a flower’s petals. She was holding a human skull in her delicate hands up to her breast, and she seemed to be weeping, carefully crafted tears seeping from bright, multi-colored eyes. It was the eyes in particular that stood out to Sienna, the dominance of orange in the rainbow of light was turning gears in her brain. Thankfully, Rossewell’s claims that her collection was corruption free seemed to be true, but something else was off about it. The magic she felt from it was primarily of the wind of beasts, but it was weaved in there with a trace of every other type of magic Sienna knew of. She flipped the amulet over to inspect the other side. All she saw was herself, reflected in the incredibly polished surface.

“A bit dramatic for a hand mirror, hm?”, she grunted and stood up to see if she missed anything else about the scene. 

Nothing much of note in terms of the missing collection, but there were more signs of a struggle between the sack rat and whatever killed it. A long trail of blood leading off into the bushes uphill. The footprints in the mud looked like they were made by hooves. This sent a shiver down Sienna’s spine. She knew she had to get the others now, being alone in the woods with whatever left those tracks was bad news.

She clutched the amulet tightly to her breast as she looked for where she came from to retrace her steps. She raised her right hand up to her brow to shield her eyes from the sun cracking through the overcast clouds.

 **POP!** She felt a slap-like sting on her right arm, right above her elbow. She yelped and instantly grabbed at it with her other arm. Looking to inspect it, she saw a runny blue-green liquid drip from her arm. The spot of impact felt fluttery, buzzing with a strange sensation.

Sienna balked at it, “What in the-”

Her exclamation was interrupted by footsteps behind her. Turning to face whoever was there, Sienna saw a taller, feminine form. She showed no skin, being robed in a stark-white hooded coat decorated simply with charcoal black stripes as trimming, and golden buttons on the breast and cuffs. Her gloves and pants matched the dark color of the stripes on her coat. She wore an elaborate golden mask under the hood, shaped like some sort of animal with a wicked toothy grin, her eyes unseeable under the large glass domes of the goggles. Her fancy boots squelched in the mud as she stepped forward steadily. One of her hands was withdrawing something from her coat.

“Who are you? Did you shoot me?”, Sienna yelled at the masked woman.

No answer, the woman just kept walking towards Sienna, extending her arm in a gesture signalling her to stay.

“Do you want this?”, Sienna showed off the amulet, hoping to distract the woman from her pulling out her staff. “Well, it isn't yours! Stay back or you'll be melted into a puddle!”, Sienna threatened, fully pulling out her weapon of choice, ready to defend herself.

But the masked woman did not listen, instead, she just kept walking toward her.

Sienna blinked, feeling indignant, but strange, as if the buzzing sensation from where the projectile had landed on her arm had spread. She shivered and wobbled as she brandished her staff and tried to will Aqshy to her. But there was nothing. Her stomach dropped in panic. Clutching the amulet to her breast again, she pulled out her dagger with her free hand. Even her magic imbued blade seemed dim with her powers gone.

The woman was almost upon her now. She reached out to grab Sienna. Sienna countered by slashing her dagger at her arm, but it deflected, the sleeve being too dense and hard. She grabbed Sienna's arm, and from inside her sleeve, golden tendrils extended in a swift creeping.

Sienna instantly recognized the Gold Magic, and knew how screwed she was. Despite this, she struggled. She flailed and pulled away with all her might, whilst slashing and stabbing with her dagger. To no avail. The woman barely even grunted. She wrenched Sienna down to the ground with a motion and pinned her down with her foot. She raised a fist, clenched around a phial and needle dripping a clear liquid.

Sienna braced for the impact of a stab.

**“STAND BACK FROM THE WIZARD, HEATHEN!!”**

The familiar shout shook the air, knocking the woman back. Its source stood tall with his flintlock and rapier drawn.

“S-Saltzpyre?”, Sienna sputtered mostly to herself, as it was indeed the witch hunter captain. How did that man track her down? She’d have to ask when it was safe.

The masked woman, pushed a few meters away by Saltzpyre's animosity, looked right back at him. Sienna could hear her snarling in rage.

“Saltzpyre watch out, she's a gold wizard!”, Sienna called out to him.

The woman began conjuring golden blades from her coat sleeves, throwing them at Saltzpyre. He reacted, sidestepping the first barrage and drawing his main pistols to return fire. The shots hit the woman in the arm, but like Sienna's dagger, were deflected by her armor. She cracked her neck and waved her arm in a thrashing motion. Globs of gold flew out onto the ground, instantly sprouting into long blades, separating into even smaller ones.

The floating wall of shimmering metal did nothing to Saltzpyre's will. He still charged forward, positioning himself between Sienna and the masked woman. "I never thought I'd have to rescue you from a rogue wizard's duel.", he said, never taking his eyes off of his opponent.

Sienna winced at that, but couldn't help but feel grateful, "I can't- I can't use my magic! She hit me with some potion!"

"So a cheater?", he raised his voice at the masked woman, "An addition on your potentially long list of crimes. Name yourself, assailant!"

The masked woman shook her head, and with a flourish the golden blades in front of her rotated their points at Saltzpyre and Sienna.

"You'll pay... I swear I'll see you burn one way or the other.", Sienna growled as Saltzpyre lent a hand to pick her up off the ground. Still woozy, from the void left by her magic's sudden absence, she began to feel sore.

The two parties were at a standoff, the moment stretching far too long. A moment ended by a chain of loud sounds: a war horn, a cacophony of braying and stomping.

Sienna froze, knowing the familiar sound and remembering the hoofprints near the sack rat. _Beastmen._

Their stampede shook, the earth shook, the trees shook, Sienna just about fell over from her weakened state.

She felt Saltzpyre's firm grip on her arm as he steadied her. He turned his weapons toward the new attackers, "Can you still fight?"

Sienna nodded, she peeked over at the masked woman. "What about her?"

"A distraction for the beastmen. We need to retreat and regroup with Kruber and the others."

Sienna nodded again. She clutched her dagger and the amulet tighter.

Even the masked woman's composure had faltered now. She was growling loudly in frustration. She had turned her prepared wall of blades towards the trees behind her. Suddenly, the beastmen burst from the forest, charging the three humans. They beelined to the glittering blades conjured by the masked woman.

Sienna felt Saltzpyre tug on her arm, and she nodded. The pair retreated from the imminent battle between the masked woman and the beastmen. In seconds, she was surrounded by the lesser mutants, and even quicker, they were cut down like wheat by her blades. Limbs and gore scattering about. Sienna couldn't keep her attention on her for long though, as beastmen were now swarming around her and Saltzpyre.

At this point, Saltzpyre had released her to let her move on her own, and had started slicing an escape path through the beastmen.

Sienna gripped her dagger's handle and followed him, adopting a more defensive stance than she usually used. Despite the urgency of the situation time felt slow, and she felt utterly useless. She kept willing Aqshy to her, but she didn't even feel a breeze of the Red Wind. All she had was her martial knowledge now, but even that was feeling difficult. She blocked and parried and slashed and stabbed. Successful, but slow. Drained. Each defense had her body wailing for collapse. Oh if only she could burn them all!

The herd thinned, and the two took the opportunity to run as fast as they could through the valley. A few stragglers from the initial rush were picked off by shots from Saltzpyre’s pistols. Unfortunately, a fresh batch of beastmen were charging from the forests, ready to push in all around them. Their escape was blocked now. And worse, the bellowing roar of a new foe vibrated through the air. The unmistakable roar of a minotaur.

“Great. The goatboys brought one of their overgrown cows.”, Sienna panted.

“We can’t take these, not with a minotaur.”, Saltzpyre replied, looking down the steep rocky slope below.

“Oh by the winds you aren’t thinking of-” 

“Sigmar will protect us.”, he interrupted her and grabbed her hand, pulling her down with him.

The two slid at first in unison, until Sienna felt her left foot snag painfully on a jutting rock, tilting her into a tumble outspeeding Saltzpyre. She screamed in pain as she fell down and down, eventually being launched into the air. She fully expected the next impact to be her last, but instead she was met with the shock of freezing cold water, and darkness.

The next thing Sienna knew, she was being pulled out of the water and onto a stony surface. She hacked and coughed the stale water out of her lungs. She opened her eyes, and saw Saltzpyre, standing above her.

“Are you alright, can you stand?”, he asked urgently

“I-I don’t know. L-let me try.”, she shook herself more aware, and then attempted to lift herself up, faltering when her left ankle sent a stab of pain through her, “A-AH!”

“I’ll take that as a no.”, Saltzpyre said with a deep frown.

“J-just, give me a moment.”, she attempted to rise again, but this time, she dropped the amulet she had been clutching with a deathgrip for the entire escape. It clattered to the floor, its glint instantly catching Saltzpyre’s eye.

“What is this?”, he asked while picking it up.

“I-I think it’s part of Rossewell’s collection, some sort of amulet.”

“What did I tell you about interacting with the artefacts, wizard?”, he scolded her as he inspected it himself.

“It’s definitely not dangerous, like she said!”, Sienna protested, “I was just curious and besides, you’re handling it for yourself now!”

Saltzpyre scowled at her statement, “Of course I am, I have the authority to do so!”

"Oh? Did you have the authority to break my leg during that fall you took us down? What about earlier than that when you overreacted to me teasing you? Then you just come out of nowhere to save me like that makes it better?”

Saltzpyre twitched again, “Fuegonasus. You know that I am in charge. This thing could have been what attracted the beastmen, or-”

He was interrupted by a flash of bright light. He yelled in fear, dropping the amulet, which Sienna caught deftly in her hand.

“Let me handle it, darling.”, she said as she tucked it away into her robes. Hopeful that was just the mirror part of it reflecting light from above, and not a display of its magical power.

“Fine.”, Saltzpyre sighed.

“Now, get out of here. Come back for me later with the help of the others. I can wait.”

Saltzpyre bent over to pick Sienna up, letting her lean on him. The smooth scent of his coat was more pleasant than she expected. She tried not to relax into it too much, though, they still had to find a way out.

“Well now what?”, Sienna asked. “You’re going to carry me out in this darkness?”

“I’m not leaving you behind here, if I go on my own I might be unable to find you again.”, Saltzpyre replied with a short huff.

Sienna sighed. This man could be so stubborn and confusing. “If only I could use my magic to light this place up.”

Out of nowhere, as if it was responding to Sienna’s wish, a soft blue light pushed aside the deep blackness, illuminating the passage beyond. The pair looked at each other, then back at the glow. The glow was still, allowing a glimpse of its form, a humanoid figure, cloaked and hooded. Shimmering like a ghost, yet without the aura of dread in its luster.

“What in Sigmar’s name?”, Saltzpyre hissed.

The being extended a hand forward, beckoning towards them. Strangely, it seemed like it was smiling under its hood. It turned away and started floating down the tunnel.

Sienna nudged Saltzpyre, “I think it wants us to follow it.”

Saltzpyre grumbled, “Haven’t we had enough encounters with strange magic today?”

“Like we have any choice.”

He grumbled again, and reluctantly nodded. “Let’s go then.”

The two did their best to follow the mysterious light cast by their savior. The cavern turned, sloped and forked. All in uncharacteristic silence, they trudged along, tired and weak from the battle. Neither knew how long or far they had travelled, the tunnel felt endless and winding. 

Finally, a sign of an exit. Heavy rain billowing through a hole in the cave's ceiling, alongside the rays of an overcast sun in a stormy dusk. The droplets in the air were frigid from the late winter air. It clashed with the warmer humidity of the cave. It made Sienna shiver. She looked around for their glowing savior. The figure darted out of view, their light fading into the light of a yonder exit.

Sienna nudged Saltzpyre, "Whatever that was... it's gone."

"For now. So you don't know what it was?"

"I only have theories for now, but I think we can agree to discuss it later."

Saltzpyre seemed to relax a bit, a welcome change in his mood. He guided her over towards a dry spot near the cave entrance, laying her down against the wall. He lifted her injured foot and fiddled with her boot.

Sienna didn’t protest, even as he had to reach rather far to undo the chains attaching it to her belt. She winced as the boot was pulled off. The sock's removal revealed a bruised and swollen ankle.

"Not ideal.", Saltzpyre grimaced at the sight, "We lack the tools to relieve this quickly.", he prodded the purpled flesh firmly.

"Ow! Careful!", Sienna yelped.

Saltzpyre paid no mind and squeezed a bit more. A few moments later he looked up at her. "It's not broken."

"But I definitely can't walk on this."

"Correct. And, we've no supplies."

"Nothing useful for this anyway.", Sienna said bitterly. Was there any way this day could get worse? She closed her eyes and grimaced. She heard rustlings and undoings of buckles and straps, then a weight upon her. She opened her eyes and realized that Saltzpyre had taken off his coat to cover her up. “So, you’re stripping down for me after all?”, Sienna teased with a weak smile.

Saltzpyre shook his head. “Just worry about staying warm and get some rest. Hopefully your magic will be usable again soon. There’s little hope of starting a fire without it.”

Judging by the moist surroundings, she had to agree with him.

“I’ll keep watch, hopefully we lost the beastmen by entering this cave.”, he stood up and walked to the opposite side of the cave to lean against the wall.

Sienna felt herself relax, at least as much as she could really in this situation. The day had been hard enough, and the next few days seemed they could be worse. Who knows how long she would be stuck out here with Saltzpyre of all people. And not just any Saltzpyre, but one that was confusing her again. 

She tried to avoid staring at him too much, from how striking he looked without his coat on, to the minor injuries he sustained from the beastmen. From rescuing her. She wanted to say something, anything to him, but she felt the darkness of exhaustion enveloping her.

“Thank you.”, was the only thing she found herself uttering before she passed out into uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took two weeks and is a good deal longer than the first. i doubt the future chapters will be continuing this pattern, but we'll see.
> 
> in the next chapter: victor finds out the hard way why i have a certain tag on this fic, and sienna has to deal with the fallout.


	3. Wings Heavy With Sin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sienna and Saltzpyre have a conversation
> 
> (this thanksgiving, man become bird)

The brighter light of morning tickled Sienna’s eyelids open. She yawned deep and tried stretching, the soreness from yesterday washing over her unpleasantly. Not the best feeling to wake up to.

“Good morning, Fuegonasus.”, Saltzpyre’s voice echoed from just outside the cave entrance. Soon he strode inside from around the walls, carrying some sticks. His clothes were wet from the still ongoing rain. He had removed his chainmail and hat now, them and much of his belongings were tucked neatly on his side of the cave.

“Oh, good morning!”, Sienna replied, peeking one eye open at him, “What have you been up to?”

“Scouting.”, he said plainly as he dropped the bundle of sticks on the ground in the dry spot, “There’s a mountain stream near here that has fish. No luck finding any edible vegetation.”

“Didn’t think they’d teach such things in the witch hunter orders.”, Sienna hummed trying to hide the fact that she was impressed at his resourcefulness.

“You’d be surprised.”, he gave the bundle of sticks a soft kick, scattering droplets of water onto the cave floor.

Sienna had a feeling about what he was going to ask her next. She closed her eyes, trying to feel so much of a whiff of Aqshy in her soul, but there was nothing. Just scarred static. She hated it, it was like the spiritual version of losing all of her limbs, but worse. So much worse.

“What about your magic. Can you use it now?”, Saltzpyre’s inquiry piqued Sienna’s attention.

She simply shook her head, looking up at him with an expression of melancholy.

He frowned, looking aside. It made Sienna want to try standing up to prove to him she could walk at full ability despite a painfully sprained ankle. She started making the motions to try.

“Don’t get up!”, Saltzpyre yelled, instantly coming to her side to keep her still.

Sienna gave him a look of indignance. “We can’t just be stuck here!”

“You’ll make the injury worse if you try now! Have some common sense, wizard!”

“Ugh, fine.”, Sienna grumbled and gave in. Within the day she bet she’d overcome the injured foot via sheer willpower. For now she just wiggled deeper into the cover Saltzpyre’s borrowed coat provided. “I suppose you want to talk.”

Saltzpyre nodded, “There are a few things that have been bothering me since we got here.”

Sienna wondered if the man had slept or eaten at all over the last night, but she knew that wasn’t exactly atypical behavior of him.

“First of all, the entity that led us out of the cave depths. You said you had theories?”, he asked, laying back on the cave wall nearby her.

Sienna hummed in thought, “It could have been a ghost, but I recognized the effects of Azyr. My ability to actually detect magic is diminished too, but I’ve heard of celestial wizards that are able to go into trances, and in said trances they can travel anywhere they want in the form of a spirit.”

“Fascinating are the various abilities magic can grant to bypass the natural order.”, Saltzpyre said.

Sienna rolled her eyes at the commentary and continued, “And besides, actual ghosts are supposed to be terrifying. Or at least a little bit spooky.”

Saltzpyre nodded in ever so subtle bemusement, “So you believe that was another wizard?”

“Possibly.”

“Do you think the celestial wizard was working with the gold wizard that attacked you?”

Sienna turned her gaze to the outside of the cave, pondering it all, “I’m not sure, but I think the gold wizard would have found us by now if that were the case. That is, if she survived the beastmen.”, she grumbled spitefully, rubbing the arm where the anti-magic potion had hit her, “She better not have survived the beastmen. Or by the eight I will incinerate her for doing whatever she did to me and my magic.”

“The gold wizard disabled your magic?”, Saltzpyre’s eyelids narrowed.

Sienna sat up, ignoring her own pain and Saltzpyre’s flinch of surprise. She pulled down the glove on her right arm to show off the circular bruise from the potion’s impact better. “I didn’t see her until after I was hit in the arm with a ball of weird liquid. So it’s safe to assume it was her doing.”

Saltzpyre took a moment to examine the injury before speaking again, “Did you know her?”

Sienna shook her head, “I’ve never been friends with a gold wizard.”

“Then perhaps it was an enemy of yours?”  
  
“Any enemy of mine that’s a wizard would be but a pile of ash now. I’m quite confident I don’t know her.”

“Then perhaps she wanted that amulet you found.”

Sienna shook her head again, “I thought that was the case at first, but…”, she slid her hand to the pocket where she tucked away the amulet, “She also had a needle attached to a bottle full of something. She was trying to restrain me, I think, so she could poke me with it.”

Saltzpyre grimaced, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “So she was trying to kidnap you.”

Sienna shivered at the thought. Who would want to kidnap her, and why? She distracted herself by thinking of the next best question, “How did you find me, and why?”

Saltzpyre looked surprised, as if she should have known the answer this whole time, “That is part of my vocation, tracking people down.”

“Well, that’s the ‘How’, but not the ‘Why’”, Sienna’s expression turned sly.

“The ‘Why’? That does not mat- er- well…”, his speech faltered in reaction to Sienna’s face. “Kruber! Kruber was concerned about you!”

“Likely story! Good try, darling!”, she laughed, “But the dwarf was there too, and his presence is unmistakably unforgettable to someone like you, hunter.”

Saltzpyre twitched at her assertions.

Sienna sighed, “I’m not going to force you to admit anything, but an apology for your comments yesterday would be nice.”

Saltzpyre’s twitches turned to scowls, “There is nothing to admit! Nothing to apologize for!”

Sienna felt the rage from yesterday spark again. Even without her magic it was hot and intense. She scooted towards him to give him a good look in the eye, “You called me an insignificant hag! That wasn’t very nice, darling!”

“You were pestering me! Always ceaseless pestering from you!”, he yelled back, spittle flying from his mouth.

“You were avoiding my questions about the mission! And this mission’s gone quite sour, don’t you think? We’re stranded out in the wilderness, and I can’t use my magic anymore!”

“Maybe that’s for the better!”

That comment left Sienna stung. Stung deep in her heart. “You don’t know that!”

“For all the trouble it’s gotten you into, you don’t know either.”

 _How dare he, how dare he be anywhere near right._ All she wanted was… She didn’t know what she wanted from him anymore. She just wanted retribution now. She wished for him to feel as bad as she did. She didn’t notice a strange energy radiate from her robe’s pockets.

Suddenly Saltzpyre hunched over. He started sweating heavily, looking like he was about to vomit. A faint series of squelches punctuated by cracks echoed through the air. The sight and sound took Sienna out of her rage and into concern immediately.

"Saltzpyre...", she said in as playful a manner as one can when nervous. "Did you eat raw fish and not tell me?", she scooted closer to him and reached out, "Come now, I’m not in a good position to help you, let's just rest. Rest and forget whatever we were just arguing about.”, Her hand landed on his back, and what she felt made her recoil.

He had lumps on his back, clearly visible through his tunic.

Saltzpyre gasped and swiped her hand away, "Don't touch me!", he snarled.

Sienna looked at him dumbfounded by the scene. Her focus zeroed in on the man's face. He bore a dire expression, anguish and anger twisting together. Dark points were pricking through the skin near the back of his head, trailing down his neck. She blinked.

"V-victor, are you-"

 **_Pop!_ **A sickening wet noise interrupted her, and a small round object clinked on the stony floor. Saltzpyre's hands flew up to his face, grasping his right eye socket. He made a noise that sounded like the combination of a yelp and a whimper. Sienna's gaze darted from the man to the object on the floor and back again in rapid paranoia.

"Victor... are you okay?", Sienna asked, stumbling on her words, knowing the answer already.

His good eye stared at her, and he lowered his quaking hands. He shook his head at her, and instead of the empty eye socket she expected to see, she saw something else. An orb dark and glassy, the weak sunlight revealing flecks of dark brown, the new pupil contracted to a pitch black pinpoint.

“Oh… Well then… That’s answered...”, she felt sick, like her gut was going to plummet right through her, down onto the ground to join Saltzpyre’s displaced false eye.

Sienna ignored instinct and reached for him again, touching those writhing lumps under his tunic for just a moment. They had expanded in size, putting pressure on their linen prison. He flinched at her, and in the next instant he had grabbed her by the wrist. Even in this compromised state, he was intensely intimidating.

"I told you, don't touch me!! Ngahhh!!" His grip hurt, like blunt spikes were digging into her skin.

She winced, glancing to look at the source of the pain.

The skin on Saltzpyre’s hand was changing. Turning dark and scaly, fingertips fused to his nails becoming sharp and pointed. Claws that were threatening to pierce her skin.

She cried out, trying to pull away from him. His expression froze with regretful shock and he released her.

Sienna fell backwards, landing hard on her back with a yelp. She clutched her sore arm to her chest, but neglected to check for wounds. The horror before her had her full attention. Saltzpyre... whatever was happening to him... was it chaos mutation? No, impossible. Not him of all people. And besides, the changes didn't resemble any monstrosity she'd known.

In fact, when she focused on the spreading black points erupting from his flesh, each one spreading out like soft leaves, she realized that those were feathers.

_Tarnus' bones... Victor Saltzpyre was growing feathers!?_

The reality of this crashed further as Saltzpyre's pained groans intensified into rasping screams. The witch hunter hunched down, grasping his sides with freshly formed talons, as if he was avoiding looking at them. He gave Sienna a pleading look, wide eyed and fearful. Then, the awful crunch of bone and flesh shifting echoed through the cave. His's screaming peaked, devolving into hurling coughs. Sienna scooted backwards to retreat, only stopped by the damp rock wall.

Saltzpyre's spine seemed to snap in multiple places in rapid pace, each crack lengthening his torso and neck. His chest barreled outward, putting more pressure on the seams of his clothing, the lumps on his back were much larger now, easily identifiable as a pair of wings. Another crack and he was forced forward, his hands fully dark and scaly now. Less human, more avian.

His next scream piercing his wheezing, existential and pitiful.

Sienna was so shocked by horror that she was frozen, pressed against the cave wall. She could only watch. Every. Single. Detail.

Finally, his tunic gave way to his growing body, ripping apart to reveal the extent of his changes. The skin not covered by sprouting feathers was discolored goose flesh, nubs of new feathers ready to poke through. But the most dramatic change were the new limbs on his back, which had increased in size, and were quickly growing their own silky black feathers. Saltzpyre stifled a whimper, shivering from the cold hitting his bare skin. He resembled a cross between a man and a fledgling.

Sienna's heart sank at hearing his suppressed cry. She couldn't even imagine how awful this was. Another crack, and his back arched, this time Saltzpyre’s despair was fully audible. His neck, thicker from before, lengthened again, his ears pointed backwards, the feather coat spreading up the back of his neck. Down supplanted his short hair and covered his stretching ears.

Simultaneously, Saltzpyre’s hips bucked and the bones warped, completely changing anatomy from human to something more feline. His pants were more fortunate than his tunic, as they were pushed down by a growth at the base of his spine. A tail. It extended outward, long and slender. Limp and bare skinned at first, quickly strengthening with new muscles, and gaining its own layer of feathers. Or. Was it fur? A leg pulled out from the now useless pants revealed a paw. Catlike, fitting the hindquarters well.

The transformation was still incomplete, but the current combination of features was enough for Sienna to recognize what Saltzpyre was becoming. Feline backside, avian foreside... a griffon. Make no mistake.

His face twisted in agony, and the most sickening sight of his face lengthening, soft tissue stiffening into a bony material. A long beak extended outward, black as the rest of his new body. His voice ran ragged, his shrill voice warping into a croaking caw.

The feathers and fur finished covering him, completely black with a shiny blue iridescence. His wings, large and fully plumed, flopped weakly to his sides. He was heaving with exhaustion, his quadrupedal stance wobbled a bit before he collapsed onto the rock floor.

Sienna jumped at the loudness of his fall. And then silence, eerie and empty. She stared at the beast before her, was this really Victor Saltzpyre? Was he even alive? Against all predilections, Sienna inched towards him on her knees. Slow and careful, favoring her injured arm and leg.

Soon she was by his side. If he towered over her before, he would definitely dwarf her now. (No offense to Bardin.) In fact, there was no way to tell that just minutes before, this beast was a man. The only remnants of his humanity were the scraps of destroyed clothing and the false eye abandoned nearby.

Saltzpyre was silent, save for the laboured breaths he made. Sienna assumed he had fainted from the stress, and reached out to prod him to test her theory. Her gloved hand met his smooth feathers. How strange... too strange… He didn't respond to her touch. She withdrew, not having the heart to continue.

She gave a shaky sigh and rubbed her sore arm, where he had grabbed her too hard earlier with those... talons. Bruised and red, but not punctured, it'll be fine… But…

 _What will happen when Saltzpyre wakes up? Will he still have the mind of a human?_ Sienna’s thoughts raced through her head. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, even blinking was stressful, but it was all she could do while she waited for him to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh three chapters in before the primary reason for me writing this comes into play well we cant all be masters at authorship can we?
> 
> I'm gonna keep trying to update at a brisk pace but I've been feeling so sick that I can't stand it. I still have so much planned for this umgak and it's keeping me going so you're not getting rid of me that easily!
> 
> EDIT: improved some of the readability and consistency


	4. A Heart Heavier Than Feathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sienna copes with Saltzpyre's transformation and the deluge of feelings that came along with. Salty is depression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for suicide attempt mention in this chapter.

Sienna came to, sensing light through her closed eyelids. She had no idea of when she fell asleep, but the memory of what she saw before she did was still raw in her mind.

Victor Saltzpyre. Victor bloody Saltzpyre, Sigmarite extraordinaire, intense in his faith and sure of his status in his god's eyes, transformed into a griffon before her eyes.

 _Volans, what was going to happen when he comes to? Is his mind intact? Will he recognize me? Try to kill me?_ Sienna’s thoughts raced. _Hah, and how intent he had been on me receiving a fair trial that he was the very reason I am alive now. Only for him to unwittingly gut me like a game hen as a mindless beast. Irony at its finest._ Even more ironic was the strange hole in her heart. If he was gone, then...

She shook her head, not wanting to sort through these thoughts and feelings anymore, there was nothing to admit. Especially since he had not apologized to her for his uncouth comments the day before. Perhaps it served him-

**CRAAAAWWWW!!!**

Sienna's eyes popped open at the intense cry. Dazed for a moment, she soon saw the source; a flailing pile of black feathers known as Victor Saltzpyre. His focus was darting between different body parts. Each discovery seemed to enhance his horror. Heavy, panicked breaths blew in and out of the nostrils of his beak. His eyes were so wide, Sienna was scared they would pop out like his false eye did last night.

Sienna felt a cringe of sorrow, She had to sigh loudly to ease the sensation. Saltzpyre hadn't noticed her until then, the sound of her sigh echoing jolting him out of his self inspection. The two met eyes, and there was a stare down, a long moment of painful silence.

"Victor?....", Sienna asked in a trembling voice, hoping the griffon only a few feet away still recognized his human name.

He gazed back at her, straight down his beak at first, before turning his left eye toward her. It was still remarkably human like, still having a (barely) visible white and an iris of deep blue.

"Victor Saltzpyre?", she asked again.

Saltzpyre's beak opened, and a sharp trilling sound came out.

The sound took them both by surprise. Saltzpyre in particular took on even more existential fear than before, showing itself as the feathers covering him puffed out. He looked over his new body again then back at Sienna. His eyes adopting the same pleading look he had the night before. 

Seeing such a vulnerable look from him was like a stab in the gut for her. "Don't... don't look at me like that!", she shouted indignantly, "This makes no sense to me too! You were perfectly normal one moment and then...", she glanced down at the shallow scratches on her arm, remembering Saltzpyre's growing talons digging into the skin.

Saltzpyre followed her gaze, his expression morphing back to horrified. He cried out again in the distinct voice of a raven. The man trapped in a beastial form devolved into a display of grief, keening a guttural caw into the cold air. His head flopped pitifully to the floor.

She sighed again, then sat up and leaned toward Saltzpyre carefully, "Come now, darling.", she addressed him in a calm voice, "It could be worse, you could have been turned into a-uh... anything we've been fighting. I imagine being a griffon is preferable to a ratty or a goat boy or-"

The sorrowful caws stopped a moment and Saltzpyre flashed a nasty look at her.

Sienna frowned and pinch-rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Can I at the very least assure you it isn't some dark god's will? Because if it was I'd have slain you in your sleep with my dagger."

Saltzpyre’s expression remained sour, but he nodded, as if he agreed with her point of self-defense. It was only a momentary distraction for him though, as he moved deeper into a depressed posture.

Sienna sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of her nose. _What am I going to do? Kill him anyway?_ The thought had a defeatist sting that demanded defiance. _No, if this is some sort of amber magic, then there has to be a fix. Right?_

She had to find the source to be sure. She backtracked through their actions from the previous day.

_Meeting Baroness Aurelia Rossewell, starting the mission, petty argument, dead sack rat, recovering the amulet, attacked by the gold wizard and beastmen- wait._

It had to be that amulet.

Sienna instantly started fishing around in her robe’s pockets for the amulet. She pulled it out and placed it in front of her where they both could see. Immediately she could tell something was different. The tearful woman's eyes were dark holes, the strange iridescence gone now. Even without her mage sight, that was enough confirmation.

"Look, the magic in this thing is diminished now. Do you remember how you snatched it from me before? It was buzzing with magical power before.", Sienna pointed out the new difference in the amulet.

Saltzpyre's eyes widened as he listened to her.

"So, first of all, thank you for _probably_ saving me from its effects.", she smirked at him in a front of jest, "Pretty sure you'd finally find me a lost cause had I been turned into a beasty."

Saltzpyre's expression morphed from existential fear to existential grumpiness.

"Secondly, this might have been enchanted with the wind of Ghyr. Definitely not a chaos curse. But!", she pointed at the eyes in the amulet, "There was definitely more than just amber magic in this. Those eyes glowed in many colors before. So not just Ghyr, all the winds of magic! Possibly storing specific spells, even! I'll save you the specifics, but I think after you took the amulet earlier, an expulsion was triggered and you got hit with a transfiguration spell." Sienna took a deep breath after her short explanation. "So third note, we can probably fix this! Turn you back into that tall skinny man we all know and adore."

Saltzpyre's ears perked in a surge of hope overcoming even Sienna's sarcasm.

"The fourth and final thing though, and it’s bad news. I can't fix this, Olesya can't fix this, Rossewell might be able to offer more information on the amulet but she certainly can't fix this.", Sienna paused, leaning back to run her fingers through her short hair, "Unfortunately, shamans are rare and reclusive. Even in Altdorf, they keep their college in the woods beyond the walls. They're an awfully prickly lot, think Kerillian but... meatier. They dislike civilization, and they’re most powerful out in the wilderness."

Saltzpyre’s ears drooped again as he listened to her.

"You might be stuck like this for a long time. Time that's too valuable to waste these days."

A silence fell upon the pair. A feeling of somber awkwardness and unease about the future.

"I don't know what else to say, Victor. You're a griffon now. You don't have to enjoy it, but you do have to get used to it. Prepare yourself for the possibility that this spell can't be reversed."

Saltzpyre drooped even further, turning his gaze to his jet black talons. He shuddered with emotions Sienna had never seen him display. It made her heart twinge again. She braved scooting closer to him.

"Oh Victor, what are we going to do with you....", Sienna sighed, gingerly pulling off loose scraps of cloth and leather. Then she collected his miraculously intact trousers and boots, folding them neatly. The salvageable items were set aside near where he had left his equipment.

Saltzpyre's shivering slowed at her touch, as if it was calming him down. However, he avoided looking at her.

Sienna felt strange, helping him out like this. She found his false eye, and as she picked it up to sit with the rest of his belongings, the full disgusting awkwardness gut punched her. "One step at a time I suppose. For both of us.", Sienna nodded at her injured ankle before placing the eye alongside his other belongings.

Saltzpyre's head snapped around to look at her, his eyes displaying confusion.

"I'll need a day or two of rest before I can walk safely down this mountain. Gives you some time to learn how to walk on all fours properly. Then you can carry me down like a mighty steed.", her tone turned playful in an attempt to relieve the somber mood.

Saltzpyre rolled his eyes and croaked indignantly. Lifting his head up as if to turn his nose, er, beak up at her.

Sienna laughed weakly, grateful that he was still himself on the inside. "Don't get me started on those wings!"

He looked surprised, and turned his attention to one of his wings, as if he'd forgotten he had them now. He lifted the right wing, it quivered and faltered, and he let it drop back down. He squawked at the impact.

"That'll be a whole ordeal on its own, trying to control an entire new set of limbs. But let's focus on the basic four first."

Saltzpyre gave Sienna a reluctant look that morphed into one of building willpower. He attempted to lift himself up once more. His hind legs in particular quaked as he stretched and flexed new muscles. The first step forward started smoothly enough, but when the time came to move a hind leg, he fumbled, lifting one too high and setting him off balance. He wobbled, wings and tail flailing to try and correct himself, but it only served to contribute to yet another fall. He crashed to the ground, squawking and cawing all the way.

Sienna cringed at his failure. "You don't have to start now. Look, darling, it's been a long day and a half. Let's just take a siesta and work on it later, alright?"

Saltzpyre grunted in a whiny manner as he rearranged himself back into a lying position.

The two embraced each other's quiet company. Saltzpyre dozed off eventually, just as Sienna expected, but as tired as she was, she couldn't nap. She instead opted to inspect Saltzpyre's body from afar, now that he was close to the cave mouth, the light revealed his new form in detail.

He was a deep midnight black, from the tip of his beak to the tip of his feather-tufted tail. He had two long, feathery ears that twitched occasionally. The beak was long and narrow, the upper half having an ever so slightly curved tip downwards. Dark, scaly skin was visible from his elbows to his wicked talons. Other than that, the entire front half was covered in feathers, but his rump had a sort of curtain of longer feathers cascading down his furred hind legs, reminiscent of the long coat she knew him well for. The wings were broad, appearing to be made for flexible flight. A beautiful creature for sure, were the situation anything but what it was now.

Sienna had heard of griffons before. Apparently Sigmar's most respected and holy creature. Fitting for Saltzpyre she supposed. But, weren't griffons supposed to be eagle-like? The features were that of a raven. A bird that represented death and omens, ever watchful, ever judging. Also fitting for him. Though if she asked him now, he’d clearly disagree.

She felt a growing ache in her chest as she stared at him. He was stirring in his slumber, occasionally vocalizing trills and croaks in his new avian voice. She pondered on what he could be dreaming of. His fellow Sigmarites rejecting him? His god forsaking him? A witch hunter being afflicted in such a way was unheard of, no matter the cause or the form. She felt her heart sink at the thought of it all, which was so strange to her. Normally, she would have liked to think she would have delighted in such a development occurring to him. But here she was, letting sympathy take her by the throat. Her guts dropped when she realized she was feeling _sympathy_ for Saltzpyre. _How dare she. After how he’s treated her?_

She sighed heavily and leaned back on the wall again, trying to rest her overworked brain. She just wanted to fall asleep and wake up with all of this having been a bad dream. She’d wake up back at the keep and everything would be as normal as it had been and could be. No noblewomen, no amulet, no transformation curses, no missing magic, no complicated feelings. Just burning ratties and saving the world.

  
  
  
  


Hours later, and Sienna found herself drifting between uneasy sleep and awakeness, and feeling the beginnings of hunger pangs. Another problem to solve, on top of the major one. She turned and peeked at the cause from the corner of her eye. Saltzpyre was still there, still a griffon, still breathing heavily. The sight made Sienna’s chest hurt, and she hated it. She looked back down at her scratched up arm. Thinking about him was unavoidable now, but she just didn’t want to deal with this.

She glanced around the cave for anything that could distract her. She spotted the bundle of sticks Saltzpyre had gathered earlier, looking much drier now. Perhaps they could hold a flame now. She then remembered that he had mentioned there being a stream nearby. Mentioned it vocally. With his voice that was gone now. Sienna felt her stomach drop and she shook her head to be rid of it.

“Ugh, no use in just waiting around here til hunger strikes.”, she muttered to herself as she put on her boot. She reached for her staff next. Her magic may still be fizzled out, but the staff was sturdy enough to help her stand now. Her swollen ankle was definitely improved over her last attempt at walking, but the squelching pain she felt when putting pressure on it assured her that it would still be impossible to sustain a long hike through the rough terrain with it. She had an idea and started to remove the heavier metal and leather parts of her outfit. The lighter, the better, she assumed. She set them aside, but not before giving the amulet a last look, the sight of it giving her a looming feeling of despair. _Damn that little thing…_

She stood up and limped towards the entrance, stopping to lean on her good leg and survey the area. She squinted her eyes, trying to detect any sign of one through the thick trees and fog outside the cave. The weather's better, but the terrain looked rougher than first assumed. With the sprained ankle, it would be difficult to traverse down the slopes.

Sure enough, Sienna spotted the twinkle of water just a few meters away, though the rocky slope down was enough to give her pause. She rubbed the side of her head, pondering if she should make any attempt at trying for fish. She cursed that noblewoman Rossewell, if only she could have foreseen this and equipped the group with any kind of rations.

Overcome with sudden emotion, she looked over her shoulder, hoping that the transformation had been an illusion or a dream. She wanted to see the human Saltzpyre laying there, but only the raven griffon Saltzpyre was there. And she couldn’t stop the subtle twists of guilt that made it feel like all of this was her fault. She growled under her breath in deep frustration.

Her frustration followed her as she began her descent down to the creek. The stones were slippery and muddy, every step felt like a risk, the ache in her ankle reminding her that care was needed. However, her need for focus was in competition with her feelings about the situation.

Sienna simply could not unsee what she had seen when Saltzpyre had changed last night. Could not unhear it, unanything it. She was a better woman before witnessing such a grotesquerie. Even if it _was_ just amber magic. She couldn't imagine how it felt to lose one's form. So quick and violent. His screams echoed through her head, she felt helpless, so helpless.

Her staff slipping on an especially slick slab of rock pulled her out of her latest ruminations. She caught herself with a yelp, just in time to prevent additional injury. She shuddered a sigh of relief, and turned her attention to her surroundings. The forest was misty from the first rains of the year, the clouds visible through the canopy were dark and swollen with oncoming downpours. Winter's bite was still strong enough to chill her to mild shivers, a downside to removing parts of her armor. She hoped that the weather would stay clear enough for her to find the two things she wanted to find: something to eat, and a piece of flint.

The stream nearby was overflowing from the rain, but still shallow enough to see the bottom. It flowed from a separate, yet inaccessible entrance to what Sienna assumed was the same cave system she and Saltzpyre were staying in. She felt safe to assume the stream was the same one she fell in the day before. Either way, all that mattered now was whether or not it had any fish in it.

Sienna scanned the water for any sign of life. She had to squint to adjust to the dim overcast light. At first, she saw nothing. She cursed to herself, wishing Markus, Bardin, or Kerillian were here to help, they knew more about wilderness survival than she or Saltzpyre. Her expertise was for the streets of cities.

 _If only I had my magic, I could boil this damn stream and everything in it!,_ She thought.

Her frustration peaked again, and she jabbed the butt of her staff into the gaps of the river rocks. A cloud of mud billowed upwards from the impact, and in the corner of her eye, she saw wiggling. A flash of shining scales. A realization clicked in her brain, she withdrew her staff, then plunged it down again. She felt a crunch of bone and rock under her, and the muddied water became tinged with red. She pulled up her staff, and an injured trout floundered to the surface.

It was moments like these that made her think that the gods did care for once. She let out a holler of excitement and bent over to grab the fish before it could manage an escape. She tossed it to the shore and gave it another wack with her staff to put it out of its misery. 

She steadied herself. The effort had strained her immensely, and despite the good size of the trout she felt the need for at least one more. The initial success was more than enough to push through the aches of her body. She turned her attention back to the stream to search for another trout. 

Flushed out by the blood and the mud, a second trout wriggled out from the crevasses of the underwater rocks. Sienna zeroed in on its movement, this time readying her staff as if it was one of her two-handed maces. Balancing all her weight on her good leg, she swung down hard, imagining that the fish was the source of all her current troubles. The splash from the impact was immense, and the flailing fish was sent flying out of the stream onto the rocks beyond. She hopped over to the creature to bash it into submission, grinning with glee.

A rustling sound behind her made the feeling temporary. Sienna turned to look and the sight of a big black griffon standing rigidly spooked her so much she fell backwards onto her bum with a yelp.

In reaction, the creature's curious expression turned to a peculiar mix of sour and sorrowful.

The griffon's identity clicked in her brain, "Saltzpyre! Don't sneak up on me like that! Imagine if I'd had my magic!"

Saltzpyre didn't seem phased much by the threat of incineration. His glum face and lack of protest made Sienna feel that low burn of sympathy again. She took a deep breath before standing up again.

"So you figured out how to walk?", she asked as she picked up the second trout, "I didn't hear a sound from you, maybe Lohner was right about me being a deaf old biddy!", she tried her best to keep her playful tone in the face of his crushing despair.

His tense posture seemed to relax at the sound of her voice, though he kept his head raised as if he was trying to avoid looking at his body in any capacity.

"Well, I'm not going to interrogate you on why you came out here to see me this time, darling," Sienna hobbled across the stream to pick up the first fish she subdued. "I'm still in need of one more thing. You can help if you know what flint looks like. Or you can stand there, awkwardly."

Saltzpyre blinked at her. He let out a trilling sigh and started to search the ground near the stream in a restrained fashion, as if he didn't want to catch nary a glimpse of his talons. He shuffled up the bank of the stream in a very stiff posture.

Sienna, feeling a bit of relief at having given him a temporary purpose, turned her attention to the trout. She repositioned herself at the water's edge as comfortable as she could get and pulled out her dagger. She went to work scraping the scales off and gutting them. Her handiwork was clumsy and messy, but she figured for someone who had never done it before, it was sufficient enough.

She admired it for a moment before daring a peek at Saltzpyre's progress. He seemed to have frozen in place, staring down at his reflection in the stiller waters. Her heart sank again instantly.

"Saltzpyre?", she called out to him.

No answer.

Sienna frowned as she went to his side. She reached out a hand, contemplating comforting him with a pat, but at the last moment she decided against it. She instead opted for sitting down beside him. She looked at her reflection and his, basking in the surreality of it all, but trying to avoid staring at him for too long.

He didn't respond to her at all, and was so still that Sienna could have mistaken him for a stone gargoyle had the soft breeze not been ruffling his feathers.She so badly wanted to say something, anything, that could possibly stir him from his existential stupor.

"Darling, maybe dinner will help?" She waved her catch in front of him, "And you managed to walk down here! I'm proud of you!"

Still no answer.

Sienna sighed in defeat, "Don't worry about the flint, Victor. Just, please, try to come back to the cave and eat. I'm going to start a fire and cook these."

This time, Saltzpyre responded with a barely audible croaking noise.

It didn't make Sienna feel much better, as she expected him to react with one of his classic scoldings or accusations. But this low mood of his was unfathomable for her. She stood up and started the short uphill climb to the cave. It was all wishful thinking and turmoil as she climbed. Mercifully it was quick enough of a trip and Sienna could finally have a more comfortable seat inside the cave, after having collected the bundle of sticks and Saltzpyre's pistols.

She supposed that she could use Saltzpyre’s flintlock pistols to try and start the fire. Any sense that she was going to get lip - or beak - for borrowing his things seemed slim with how depressed he was now. To be honest, she secretly hoped that it would trigger his fury. Have him calling her a witch in raven caws would be a step up from forlorn self-reflection.

She kept this thought in mind as she dropped the fish next to the bundle of sticks, and hobbled over to Saltzpyre’s belongings. She rummaged through the pockets of his coat and through all his holy charms and trinkets. She quickly found his pistols and his black powder horn. She carefully took one back to her work area with her. She set two sticks aside next to the fish.

Then, setting the pistol aside, she arranged the wood into a tent-like structure, overtop of a small pile of black powder. She felt a pang of embarrassment at the fact that she had to start a fire in such mundane ways. She made a mental note to herself to start the biggest bonfire she could once her magic returned to her. Preferably with the corpses of beastmen, skaven, and that masked gold wizard.

 _Now, how do I do this?_ She thought to herself. To be honest she was mildly afraid of firing the pistol on accident, especially since she didn’t know if it was loaded or not (Saltzpyre always seemed to have them loaded, anyway.) All she needed was the flint. She pulled the cock back as far as she could, taking care to have the gun’s muzzle pointed away from her. She then started to fiddle with the jaw screw, trying to loosen it to get at the small piece of flint it was holding. It was so tight that her fingers slipped and she dropped the pistol.

 **BAM!** The mechanism triggered, and the blast of the gun firing shockwaved through her and the cave.

“Well. I should have put my gloves back on.”, she muttered to herself. She relaxed knowing the gun couldn’t possibly fire twice. However, the embarrassment she felt before had now amplified. She so badly wanted to show that gold wizard what it meant to mess with a bright wizard. She imagined inflicting the worst possible pain on her as she wrenched the flint free. Then, taking her dagger she struck the flint against it, aiming the sparks at the black powder and wood.

Sienna knew the innate magic of the blade would help, but the shower of sparks and the powder and sticks erupting in flame without much more aid so quickly surprised her. A pleasant surprise, in fact. She felt a trickle of joy reminiscent of when she was a child learning to make sparks of flame with her pyromancy. Though even this genuine good feeling was dogged by one of ennui.

 _Her magic had caused her a lot of trouble, hadn’t it?_ She remembered what Saltzpyre had said the night before, words she had heard countless times before not just from him, but from everyone she’d known in some capacity. She remembered the voice in her head from the recent mission to Castle Drachenfels mocking her for her lack of control, her wonton addiction to magic causing so much unneeded death and mayhem. How she thought she could redeem herself by playing the hero. Even now, with the cursed Saltzpyre situation she just wanted... Something...

She watched the small fire grow in power, it’s light drawing her focus away from her spiraling thoughts. Though movement and the sound of shifting stone in the corner of her awareness pulled her back into her head. Saltzpyre’s avian visage had peaked from the slope below. His head was drooped low, and he seemed to be staring into space in a truly glum expression.

Sienna felt her heart twist at the sight of him. She was starting to get sick of that feeling. On impulse, she brandished the borrowed flintlock pistol she ever so gracefully misfired. "That's right, witch hunter!" she said with wan mischievousness, "I stole and misused your equipment! What say you to such a crime, eh?"

Saltzpyre didn't even twitch once. He simply lumbered over to where he was laying before and collapsed into a feathery pile.

She immediately felt the blow of failure. Not even manhandling his stuff was breaking him out of his funk, and it deeply concerned her. She hoped that the prospect of a meal would perk him up, at this point she didn't know what else could.

Frustrated, she took the sticks she set aside earlier and penetrated the fish one at a time. She held them over the flames, being careful to avoid burning them. Soon the sweet aroma of cooked fish washed through her nostrils. The hunger pangs she had been suppressing up to this point now ran wild, and she couldn’t wait to dig in. She glanced over at Saltzpyre, wondering if he could smell it too, but he hadn’t budged an inch. He was just staring listlessly at the cave wall.

Sienna blew off her serving of trout on a stick and bit into it. Sure enough, it was delicious and juicy. Not even the imperfections of the texture deterred her from it. In between bites, she scooted over to Saltzpyre, forcing a grin as she held up the other trout for him. “Come on now, have one! It wasn't easy to get these so they shouldn't go to waste, even if they are all bony.”

He glanced at it from the corner of his new eye, but went back to staring back at the cave wall.

Sienna’s grin faded, and so did her optimism. Replaced with hollowing frustration. She scooted closer to him, and tried prodding his beak with the fish.

He pushed it away.

“Victor, please… I just. I just want to help. But you won't let me!”, she felt her emotions start to bubble up. She wanted to let her frustration get the better of her, to throw the fish at him, but suppressing herself she set it down next to him gently.

He still didn't touch it.

The emotions in her only continued to build, "I don't know what to do. I'm trying so hard, but you won’t accept me. Even before this.", Her voice was shaking now. Every facet of her feelings from the past day and beyond were melting down and boiling.

Finally, he changed position, lifting his head up. His expression remained forlorn.

“You’re impossible, you know that? Why did you have to go get cursed, touching that amulet and all, huh? Now you’re a griffon, and not even a normal one! How in the world are we going home with you like this, Saltzpyre!?”

He continued to stare at her, his expression changing into a vague and hazy rage. It was almost one she recognized from him.

“And what are the others going to think about you being a literal pretentious cock now, hm? I know you’ve thought about that!”

Finally his expression cracked, roughly merging with the one of despair he had when he had first awoken. He gave out a low caw that almost sounded like a growl. He’d lost the anger, and Sienna sensed it. She hated how it made her feel.

“You can’t even talk! And by the flame I wish you could so you could just tell me what's wrong! Like you always have!”, she brought a hand up to her face, wanting to avoid looking at him now. It hurt too much, even as much as insulting him felt like retribution for his slights against her. She scooted away from him over to where she slept before. "But you’re just going to slump and cry about it. Have it your way. I'm done trying."

He laid back down and curled away from her and the fire. His body had started shivering again under the stress of the situation.

She shuddered under the pressure of her own rage. She hadn't nearly gone fully off on him, yet she already felt her outburst dripping off into a growing hole of regret. A cold breeze brushed her skin, making her feel even colder, the small fire’s heat unable to reach her. The temptation of Saltzpyre’s coat popped up in her mind, but even glancing at it was just a fresh blow to her emotions.

The following silence was so thick that only a muffled crack of thunder penetrated it. Sienna dreaded the prospect of more rain. Another day stuck in this cave with nothing but her thoughts and a depressed man-turned-birdbeast. Another uneasy slumber.

  
  
  
  


Sienna woke up to soft scrapes of metal on rock puncturing the pattering rain outside the cave. She opened one eye to see Saltzpyre’s massive black form standing near her, picking through his belongings with a beak and talons. She noted the quietness of his movement, and decided that he had not intended to disturb her. She opted to pretend that she was still asleep, closing her eye to a squint.

The fire had weakened, but was still producing enough light to keep the cave lit. It was just enough to see what Saltzpyre was up to.

He was struggling with handling his own belongings, a pathetic look for a being known for his pride. After much careful finagling, he raised his head, pulling up with it the long scabbard of his rapier. The soft clatter it made against his beak enhanced the pitiable image.

Sienna knew how much his sword meant to him. It was basically a symbol of his office and position in his order. She figured he was just retrieving it to lament on losing his humanity more. But there was a shine in his eyes that betrayed an intent behind the despair. It compelled her to continue watching. 

He turned and walked back to where he was laying before, sitting down on his haunches. He gently dropped the rapier to rest on his foreleg for a moment. 

Sienna had an inkling of what he was doing. But it didn’t start to register until he started fiddling with the weapon, trying to remove the blade from its sheath with awkward beak and claws.

She gulped. _Was Saltzpyre going to kill himself? In the middle of the night while he thought she was asleep? Running himself through with his own sword? Ending his misery and leaving her alone with the corpse of an animal?_ She felt a shiver in her spine as the twisting in her chest came back full force.

The gleam of metal caught her eye as he pulled the blade free.

She wondered if she should let him. Let him go out on his own terms.

He fumbled with the blade, trying to position its point towards his chest.

She felt nauseous at the thought. She couldn’t bear this. _This wasn’t like him! This wasn’t like her!_

He finally got the rapier steady, holding its hilt in his talons. He was quivering. He closed his eyes in finality.

Sienna felt her body sit up, stand up. _No. They couldn’t admit defeat like this!_

As Saltzpyre had tried to put all his weight on his sword, Sienna tackled him. The blade grazed his upper shoulder, missing his heart by a mile. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

“YOU STOP THAT!”, she screamed into him.

Angered at being thwarted, he thrashed against her, trying to slough her off. She only squeezed him tighter in response.

“You can’t give up! You can’t! I won’t let you!”

His struggling faded into quivering. He let out a raw caw of sorrowful rage.

“Yeah? Well, I’m sorry! But the world needs you, Victor! What about the others? They need you!”

She felt his shuddering slow to a stop and a wetness drip onto the back of her neck. _Was he… crying?_

She felt tears of her own start to well up in her eyes. A feeling that she’d not felt in a long time washed over her. Then, the one thing she hadn’t wanted to admit slipped from her mouth.

“ _I need you._ ”

The gravity of those words put a tension in his body. She could feel it, and she tensed up too. She hugged him ever tighter.

“I… I need you. I don’t want you to go! Not like this! I know it must feel like Sigmar has abandoned you, but I haven’t! I take back what I said earlier. I’m sorry for that! I’m so sorry this happened to you!”

Saltzpyre took a sharp inhale as he tried to keep from sobbing.

“I promise I’ll do anything in my power to undo this spell. Anything. I just want you to live! I can’t let you die like this! Please!”, She however, was unable to keep from sobbing into him. Her hands had started to busy themselves with petting the back of his head and neck. Her fingers combed through his silky feathers.

Finally, the tension in his body loosened. She could feel it, and empathetically she relaxed alongside him. She fully buried her face in the ruffled beard of his neck feathers, and his head leaned onto hers in kind. A somber silence settled on the two. Only the sound of their breathing seemed to be audible now.

Despite the bite of ebbing winter and drifting despair, they felt warmth. A warmth, comforting and soporific. They felt... _something_ ... A _something_ that neither could explain. Compared to that _something_ , nothing else mattered. For the moment it was just them. Just them and that warm _something_.

It was a long while before the silence was interrupted by a rumble of thunder from outside. But even then, the two stayed entwined. Before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep.

The amulet in Sienna’s belongings started to glow once again, but only for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a long time. My funk is only getting worse. Someday I'll feel better. But I'm not going to give up yet, I still have many plans for this story.
> 
> Next time: Sienna makes a bid for the safety of civilization, but things only get worse for her!


End file.
